Saw that on History/Discovery- what a mess.
JR
Dweller in the cellar

Gunner wrote:
http://members.tripod.com/~earthdude1/molasses/molasses.html

... the Great Molasses Flood that swept through part of Boston,
Massachusetts on January 15, 1919.

At this time in history, molasses was America's primary sweetener. It
was used to make all types of cookies, cakes, bread, and especially
rum.

Due to its popularity at the time, there were many molasses factories,
warehouses, and storage tanks lining the shores of Boston. After all,
Boston was considered to be the distilling capital of the United
States.

To tell this story, we are only concerned with one of these facilities
- a large storage tank located in Boston's north end - near the sites
where the world famous Fanuel Hall (Quincy Market) and the New England
Aquarium stand today.

This was no small tank of molasses. The tank stood over 50 feet tall.
Estimates of its capacity range from 2.2 to 2.5 million gallons!

And we all know where this story is going.

A sudden thunderous cracking sound was heard. The tank exploded and
all the molasses began to flow down the city streets.

The actual wall of molasses was estimated to be from 15 - 30 feet high
and moved at 25-35 miles per hour in the area around the tank. The
depth was only (only?!!) several feet in the surrounding area. You
could not outrun this thing.

There was no chance of saving anyone in its destructive path. Anyone
that attempted to go near the sticky goo got stuck in it themselves
and could have been cooked alive. It could suck your boots right off
your feet.

The flood killed twenty-one people and injured an additional 150. Some
were suffocated, some cooked, and others were swept by the wave into
the harbor. I guess you could say that these unfortunate people were
molassassed to death. Not exactly how I wish to go.

The wave also destroyed millions of dollars worth of property. Homes
and warehouses were swept off their foundations and destroyed. Even
part of the city's elevated train line was destroyed.

Once the flood stopped, cleanup began. They could not remove the
trapped horses from the sticky mess, so they had to shoot them to
death. Freshwater from the fire hydrants would not wash away the
molasses, so salt water from the harbor had to be sprayed on the land.

It took over six months to remove the molasses from the cobblestone
streets, theaters, businesses, automobiles, and homes. The Boston
Harbor was also stained brown for six months (must have made for a
beautiful photo opportunity).

Believe it or not, there were reports that the molasses would actually
continue to creep out of the ground and cracks in the sidewalks for 30
years! Others claim that you can still smell traces of it on a very
hot day in the city.

So what happened to cause this mess?

No one is really sure, but there are two theories:

First, it was believed that the tank was overfilled due to the
impended threat of prohibition. It cracked open due to the extra
force.

An alternative explanation has to do with the weather that day. On the
prior day, the temperature was only 2 degrees Fahrenheit above zero.
On the day of the accident, it had quickly shot up to an unseasonably
warm 40 degrees. Some believe that this caused rapid expansion of the
molasses and overstressed the tank.

This accident is certainly one that will stick in the minds of
Bostonians for many years to come.
http://members.tripod.com/~earthdude1/molasses/molasses.jpg

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/molasses.htm

http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/historical/a/molasses_flood.htm
Molasses Clocked at 35 MPH ... in January!

http://www.masshist.org/library/faqs.cfm#flood
The official investigation of the incident never conclusively
determined what caused the tank to collapse. The owners contended that
it was an external explosion, possibly anarchist sabotage (the alcohol
distilled from the molasses was destined for use in government
munitions), but few people accepted this explanation.


Confronting Liberals with the facts of reality is very much akin to
clubbing baby seals. It gets boring after a while, but because Liberals are
so stupid it is easy work." Steven M. Barry


--
--------------------------------------------------------------
Home Page: http://www.seanet.com/~jasonrnorth
If you're not the lead dog, the view never changes
Doubt yourself, and the real world will eat you alive
The world doesn't revolve around you, it revolves around me
No skeletons in the closet; just decomposing corpses
--------------------------------------------------------------
Dependence is Vulnerability:
--------------------------------------------------------------
"Open the Pod Bay Doors please, Hal"
"I'm sorry, Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that.."